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Going through a bankruptcy, either personally or with your business, can affect your ability to qualify for a mortgage. Your credit score may drop, and you may need to wait before applying for a home loan. It all depends on the size of your down payment and how high of an interest rate you can tolerate. Here’s what you need to know if you have been through a bankruptcy:
Types of Bankruptcy
There are three common types of bankruptcy: Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 and 13 are for personal debts while Chapter 11 is for business debts. With Chapter 7, most of your asse...

When you need a chunk of cash for a project, your home may be the best source of funding. Fortunately, you do not need to sell your home to take advantage of your equity. There are two popular and practical ways to pull cash out of your home: a cash-out refinance mortgage and a home equity line of credit (HELOC).
Cash-Out Refi’s
A cash-out refinance loan replaces your existing mortgage with a new, larger loan, allowing you to take out cash in exchange for some of your existing equity. Lenders typically cap your cash-out refi at 80% of the home’s value. For example, let’...

You have found your dream house but it will take significant work to make it a home. You do not have cash in savings to pay for both a down payment and the repair costs. Not to worry - this is not a hopeless situation. Fortunately, there are two types of mortgage loans available for just this scenario: The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) 203(k) rehabilitation loan or Fannie Mae HomeStyle Renovation Mortgage.
FHA 203(k) Mortgage
The Federal Housing administration has provided a home loan that allows buyers to borrow enough money to cover the price of the home plus the estimated...

If you have ever checked out the current status of mortgage interest rates, you may have seen the average points listed next to the rates. What are these points and how do they affect your interest rate?
Points Defined
Mortgage points, or discount points, are upfront fees paid to your lender that allow you to “buy down” your interest rate on your home loan. The idea is that you are prepaying some of the interest on the mortgage, which gives you a lower rate. The more points you pay, the lower your interest rate will be. One point is equal to 1% of the total mortgage loan amou...